The Ocean Blue
by MethodicEarth
Summary: In the world of mermaids, pirates, and magic, a mermaid must travel across the oceans in order to save her mate from being sold by pirates as an attraction. However, a kink is thrown into her plan when she herself is picked up by a pirate. How will she manage to survive long enough to rescue her mate before it's too late? Warning for mild swearing, swashbuckling action.
1. In this world

Under the ocean, life is quiet. There are no wars or threats from distant forces and every thing that lives supports each other. Now, the creatures do fight and squabble, as does anything. But they are all united against the most deadly threat that they all face: Man. Even the sharks had learned to stay away from ships and shores for fear of being caught.

There is one creature under the sea that has the sole purpose of rising up against mankind. The Merpeople have always been gifted in the art of weaving enchanting songs to ensnare sailors and drag them to their dooms. With razor teeth and powerful tails, diving into infested waters is a death sentence.

Now, while Merpeople are very deadly, if the captain can prove himself worthy of their trust, they will vow to never attack their ship. This vow is only broken if the captain uses this trust against them. For decades, captains have tried and failed to keep the merpeople's trust. Some were overtaken by greed and attempted to capture a merperson in order to sell them. Others mistook them for fish and hunted them for food. Only one captain has ever managed to keep a vow sacred with the Merpeople.

Captain Arthur Kirkland was this captain. He regularly travelled across the merpeople's home. While he was a pirate, and a deadly one at that, he made it very clear to his crew that no merperson was to ever come to harm. If anyone disobeyed him, they would not live to tell the tale.

As it worked out, the Merpeople started helping his ship. If someone fell overboard, instead of a death sentence, they would appear on the other side of the deck. If they found themselves stranded in the middle of the ocean, they would appear at their destination by morning. Some sailors said the Merpeople used magic while others just called it a fortunate tide.

Now, any good sailor has interesting tales to tell. And this is one of them, with magic and romance and suspense. This is the tale of how Arthur Kirkland earned the merpeople's trust.

-  
One particular morning, when the seas were calm and the sun was bearable, two merpeople were resting on a rock. It wasn't particularly big, nor was it very small. The Merpeople were just enjoying themselves, as a human would play in the water. The mermaid wasn't exceptionally beautiful to other Merpeople and the mermaid wasn't exceptionally handsome.

The mermaid was fairly chubby with a shimmering tail colored with dark blues. Her skin was lightly tanned and her light brown hair was constantly tied into a braid to keep it from getting caught on everything. Her piercing navy eyes could easily catch anyone's attention, but she didn't want any attention except for her companion's.

The merman had a dark olive tan and a skinny tail that could have been mistaken for palm tree leaves. His short brown hair was always out of his olive eyes. At the moment, he was doing his best to make his companion laugh, even though he wasn't very good at it.

At first glance, no one would be able to tell that these young Merpeople were mates. Merpeople are very loyal and often mate for life. To see mates at such a young age has never been common, but when the rare pair is made, it is often obvious from the start.

While Merpeople do have voices, they often sign instead of speaking due to sound not traveling as well underwater.

The male signed, "The scouts have said that there is another ship coming. Do you think we'll be able to see it from here?" The female thought for a moment, signing back, "Probably, but isn't it dangerous? We could get caught and then where would we be?" The male grinned. "Natasha, you're worrying too much. Besides, we can swim faster than their ship, so it'll be no problem getting away."

Natasha frowned, tapping her fingers impatiently on the rock. "Lovino, be serious. This is dangerous for us." Before she could go off on a tangent, she froze with her eyes on the horizon. Following her gaze, Lovino saw a ship heading right for them with a speed that could match their own.

Natasha dove underwater, knowing full well that humans could be crafty in terms of seeing long distances. Waving off her worries, Lovino hid behind the rock to watch the ship as it came closer. As the ship advanced, Natasha continuously pulled on his tail. She finally got him to come under water as the people on the ship were able to be heard.

Glaring at his mate, Lovino kept the two of them close enough to the surface to see the sides of the ship. Filled with curiosity, he let his mate check their surroundings. When she started yanking on his arm, he turned to glare at her once more, only to find her expression full of fear as she tried to get them to swim away. Looking around them, he couldn't find what she was so afraid of. He hadn't even noticed that the ship had stopped.

A thick rope net dropped around the two of us, quickly and easily getting tangled with our limbs and fins. I happened to be closer to the edge, giving me less net to untangle myself from. I looked at the rest of the net and immediately saw Lovino struggling to throw the rope off of him. The corners of the net stretched far out of the water, up along the side of the ship. I swam over and started trying to break the net, pulling and biting at the thick ropes.

My heart dropped as the net jolted and started pulling up towards the ship. I began swimming down, trying to drag the net back down so Lovino could get out safely. I even twisted my arms into the loops of the net to get extra pulling strength. At first, it was working. Whoever was on the other end of the net quickly figured out that it was being pulled back and started tugging it more than I could keep up with. I got one of my arms out and started getting the other one out when the two of us were heaved out of the water.

Lovino desperately signed for me to go, to leave him to his fate. Stubbornly, I stayed, and even managed to start snapping some of the rope loops. Suddenly, we were dropped onto a solid wooden surface. It took me a moment to recover before I started crawling to the side of the surface, dragging the still struggling Lovino with me. Loud noises started crying out at me, sounding angry. I didn't stop for them. I didn't stop until I felt a sharp pain in my arm. I dropped the net and cradled my arm as these loud thumps came closer towards the two of us. When the thumps stopped, I threw myself over Lovino in an attempt to protect him.

Surrounding us were figures that resembled other merfolk, at least until where their fin was supposed to be. These must have been the humans the guards were always warning us about. I felt the stinging again, this time across my back. I glared up at the human behind me. Immediately from his appearance, I completely distrusted him. Maybe it was the hair the color of a burning ship or the unnaturally green eyes that held so much contempt.

He shouted something that I didn't quite understand to the people around us. It sounded like the language we would sing in, but the accent mushed the words together. I concentrated on attempting to translate his words. "Ready a tub with water," he shouted. He looked at me with a cocky smirk on his face. "Put the green one in. The blue one is too troublesome to make a profit." My eyes widened and I frantically tried once more to get Lovino off of the ship.

I was picked up by the neck by the flame-haired man and lifted up to his eye level. I seemed weightless to him as he thrusted a blade into my belly, effortlessly staining it with my silver blood. All I could hear was the heart-wrenching sound of my mate crying out. His cry was filled with pain and devastation. It obviously affected some of the men, who stopped what they were doing as their leader threw me off of the side like a dead fish. I didn't even feel the water embrace my heavy body before I lost consciousness.


	2. Full of mystery and sadness

I floated in and out of the living realm for what seemed like years. The damned pirate hadn't even made it so I could die quickly. No, I had to slowly bleed out as the water I called home continuously bit at my wounds. I couldn't even build up enough strength to swim for help. I thought I could hear another ship approaching, but I could barely see, let alone move to look around. Right as my vision went black and my mind went blank, I would have sworn I was being lifted up somewhere.

-

I woke up tasting something fibrous and dirty in my mouth. It took all the willpower I had not to retch. I looked down and saw that someone had closed the wound on my stomach. It didn't hurt as much as before, but it was still enough to make me audibly groan. I looked around to study the room I was in. It was mostly wooden with thick metal bars instead of an opening to the hallway. Whoever had me trapped her at least had the decency to put me in a wooden tub filled with water, keeping my beautiful navy tail intact.

There was an opening higher up in the room that allowed light to pour in. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to tell me where or when I was. I tried lifting myself out of the tub, but to my dismay, my hands were bound together by a rough, twisted material that was as thick as two fingers put together. I writhed in the tub, attempting to heave myself out of it. Fate didn't seem to be on my side as heavy thumps were making their way towards me.

My heart froze for a moment as the rumps reminded me. What if this is the same person from before? I couldn't keep irrational thoughts out of my head as a feeling of panic washed over me. I once more attempted to fling myself out of the tub as the thumps stopped. I looked around and saw another human on the other side of the sturdy bars. Another male, with the same piercingly unnatural green eyes. The difference between this one and the last one was the tangle of hair that resembled the sun's light when it was high in the sky. He wore a heavy-looking jacket that was a similar color to the hair of the man from earlier. It covered most of his body, but her feet were covered in shiny black material with cords poked through at regular intervals.

He smirked at me, most likely noticing how I had stopped completely and checked him out from top to bottom. "Can you understand me?" He asked. It took me a moment to process what he said before I carefully nodded. His smirk morphed into a grin that would have fit better on a shark. I attempted to sign a question to him, but with my hands bound, it proved more difficult than it was worth. He looked at me in confusion before speaking up once again, enunciating clearly as if I was slow, "I'm going to ask you some questions. Raise one finger for yes and two for no, alright?" I rolled my eyes at his tone and held up one finger.

"Do you know where you are?" He asked. I held up two fingers, leaning my head back against the tub and staring at the ceiling. "Do you know who I am?" Again, two fingers. "Do you know who attacked you?" Two fingers, but his voice was getting closer. I jumped as his face appeared directly in front of mine. Not only was it uncomfortable, but I couldn't get further away from him to make it more bearable. "If I take the rope and gag off, will you behave?" He looked directly into my eyes and I couldn't seem to look away from his gaze. Weighing my options, I held up one finger for him. He smiled and started undoing the bindings around my wrists.

As he fiddled with the material - rope, I think he called it - he answered his own questions for me. "My name is Captain Arthur Kirkland. You're aboard the Silent Siren, and I suspect that you were attacked by my elder brother, Allistair." My eyes narrowed as I was finally able to put a name to the face. Before I could sign anything, Kirkland wrapped the rope around my upper arms, successfully keeping them anchored to my torso. I glared at him, slapping my tail against the shallow water of the tub. He stepped back with a dark smirk on his face. "Come now, pretty thing, you don't really think I'd set you free so easily. You're surely worth more than this ship if I find the right buyer. Don't worry, I'll send my first mate to check on you every so often to make sure you stay in the right condition." I screamed through the coarse gag, easily shrill enough to make him cover his ears. I continued as long as I could, at least until Arthur punched me right under my ribs.

I sat there and gasped for air that wouldn't come quickly enough. The wound that had been so carefully closed had opened up again, bleeding freely. Without the air to breath and scream and pain, it didn't take long for my vision to go dark again. I was starting to get sick of passing out on Fate's terms. Before I blacked out completely, I heard Arthur mumbling to someone about getting me fixed up before I woke up again. He said something else, but I was too exhausted to focus on translating his words.

-

I don't know how long I was asleep, but when I woke up, there was no sunlight coming through the opening. My body felt fatigued from not moving for too long. I twisted my body and tail, trying to stretch my muscles and get my blood flowing. When I hit the boundaries of the wooden tub, I remembered where I was. Sighing heavily, I closed my eyes and listened to the creaking of the ship. As I concentrated on the quiet sounds, I realized that someone was breathing in the same room. My eyes flew open as I looked around the room. I couldn't fight, but now I knew that my shrieks hurt just as much as my claws.

After scanning for a moment, I couldn't see any bulkish male figure. Letting my heart rate calm down, I continued looking around. Finally, my eyes rested on the figure of a child holding a candle that was just enough to illuminate the small area around them. I couldn't tell the gender, most children already look the same body-wise. I could tell they were similar to Kirkland already, from the sloppy mop of sun's light-colored hair. They weren't dressed as well as Kirkland had been, instead wearing a simple sailor outfit with a circular hat that looked out of place in this situation.

The child openly stared at me when they realized that I was quite awake with no change of going back to sleep. They crept closer before whispering to me, "Are you really a mermaid?" It sounded like a very young male, before his body would start changing. I kept myself from rolling my eyes as I flopped my tail. He didn't seem to notice my sarcastic movement, instead being entranced with my tail. "May I feel it?" He asked. It was said with such innocence that I could feel myself nodding and moving my tail closer to him.

As he gently stroked my tail with rough-looking fingers, I felt myself crack a smile. "My name is Peter," he said quietly. "Some of the men said that you weren't actually a mermaid and I couldn't sleep until I found out if you were or not." I nodded, understanding his logic. There were certain passions that would keep one awake for hours before the thirst to fulfill said passion would pass away. After a while, Peter seemed to get bored of my tail, so he turned to me and asked, "Can you talk?" Thinking for a moment, it occurred to me that merpeople had only ever sung and signed. Without looking into the boy's soft blue eyes, I shook my head. He seemed saddened by this development before perking up with an idea. "It's going to be a while before we reach port. Why don't I teach you how to talk?"

I have the child a questioning look, trying to process the idea. Merpeople never had a reason to talk, sound was always dampened under water. Even when we were above water, we only ever sang to lure in our victims. As I thought, Peter rambled on in his own little world. "I won't be missed during the day, I'm just a cabin boy. We can even start tomorrow when I bring you some food. Arthur will never even know that I've been helping you if I put the gag back on when I have to leave. By the way, what is your name?" I snapped back to attention at his question before instinctively signing my name - an N sign over my eyes. He looked at me, obviously confused, before I realized that he probably didn't know sign. The confused stare didn't last long before he yawned, which looked like a Gulper releasing its young. "I'm sorry, miss Mermaid. I should probably get back to crew's quarters and get some sleep before everyone wakes up." He stood up, taking his small candle with him and leaving me to wonder what kind of crew I was on.


	3. Things aren't always so cut and dry

The next morning couldn't come quickly enough. Time seemed to drag on as I writhed in the wooden tub, uncomfortable in the cramped position and totally unable to go back to sleep. Once I realized that the tiny cell was gradually getting lighter, it was easier to stay calm. It was almost like being back home, when Lovino and I would rise to the surface to watch the sun peek into the starry sky. A pang of longing and hurt ran through my chest as I thought of Lovino and how he must be doing. At the very least, he was still alive, judging by the fact that I wasn't in unbearable pain or even dead. That was always curious to me, how mates were bonded so simply yet they shared the pains of their hearts. Quite literally, as it turns out. I felt Lovino's loneliness aching deep within my core, which was slightly reassuring.

I was jerked out of my inner thoughts by someone poorly attempting to enter the room silently. Watching the stranger, there was enough light in the cramped room to be able to determine their features. It seemed to be a rather effeminate boy with hair the color of sea urchins tickling his shoulders and dangling into his eyes. He was not much taller than I would have been if I were standing, and he had a sturdy build and wide hips. I could have sworn I saw the outlines of breasts, but it could easily be the light playing tricks on my eyes.

He was the first to speak, albeit timidly, while signing to me. Finally, someone I could actually talk to. "My name is Ren," he said. "I'm the first mate here, but I'm the only one who speaks in signs. Captain Kirkland asked me to, uh, talk to you." He hesitated in telling me the reason for why he was in here. I suspected this boy was here to make sure I didn't try anything. "It's comforting to know he cares," I signed. I added an eye roll to make it clear I was being sarcastic. Obviously my point got across as Ren cracked a smile. "What is your name? It wouldn't be right to just call you Mermaid," he asked. I meticulously spelled out my name before giving him the same sign name that I had given Peter. It took him a moment to process what I spelled. "Natasha, right?" I nodded, glad that someone finally understood what I was saying.

"What were you doing all the way out here?" I looked at him, stunned by the question. It took me a moment to collect my thoughts and start signing them as clearly as I could. "My mate and I were waiting to see a ship pass by. We didn't realize it was a pirate ship until.." I stopped to wipe my eyes. Damn being above water, it was so easy for my body to betray me. A fresh pang of heartbreak hit me, slapping me in the face. "My mate was taken and I was stabbed. Then I woke up here." Forget trying to sign slowly, I just didn't want to say it more than once. I had failed my mate by not fighting back, not trying to get back to him as soon as I could. Emotions flooded my heart as I started to shriek, tears pouring down my face. The first mate covered his ears, wincing visibly at the high-pitched sound of pure despair. Eventually the shrieking subsided into full sobs. I couldn't even hide my face with the limited mobility. Ren was gone when I looked again to apologize. I never cried, but the guilt I felt for not trying harder to save Lovi was overwhelming.

When I finally stopped sobbing and resolved myself to wet hiccups, the sun started to go down. I had to think of something, some way to get myself out of here. Before I could start making a plan, I was interrupted by a rough voice. "Are you done yet? That crying was getting annoying." I looked to the open wall to see Kirkland glaring at me, a prominent frown on his face. I returned the glare, my eyes puffy and sore from the literal hours of tears. My skin felt clammy and cold where the tears had been flowing. "I'll take that as a yes. Ren told me why you were making that horrible sound and I have to say, losing a mate is hardly something worth crying like that." My despair was easily replaced with a burning rage and hatred for the man. How dare he mock my pain! He chuckled smugly and left as I glared a hole into his head. Mark my word, I would get revenge on that man as soon as I could.

-

Once more, I was woken up late at night. The small child, Peter, was back once more with his small candle, but this time with a wooden bowl. Carefully putting the bowl and candle down, he started to undo my gag. "I brought some food for you, but I had to smuggle it out while I was washing dishes. I can't untie the rope, so I'll have to feed you. Is that alright?" His small voice was surprisingly soothing, so I just nodded. Slowly, he spooned a tasteless soup into my mouth. There were chunks of something starchy as well as something that resembled meat, so it was at least filling to a point.

Once the soup was gone, we started on teaching me how to speak. It started easily enough with sounds that came naturally; aa, oo, ee, and things similar to that. I didn't understand why so many letters sounded similar, like O and U. I tried not to think about it too much as Peter left for the night.

The routine became normal over the next few days. During the day, I would talk to Ren and at night, Peter would teach me how to speak. I rarely saw Kirkland unless he was leering at me. Little did any of them know, I was making my own plans. I wasn't about to be sold like an object as an attraction. All I needed was the right opportunity.

My time came one morning when we stopped at a port. My wrists had been tied again so I couldn't scratch anyone as Kirkland paraded potential black market buyers through. Luckily, there was enough that he didn't know about me, or even Merpeople in general. I found that out when Ren found me sick one morning as algae had started growing in my tub.

After Kirkland had tied my wrists and left, he neglected to put a guard outside of my cell. I figured that I had an hour or so before buyers started gawping at me, so I had to hurry with my plan. Putting my wrists outside the rim of the tub, I lifted myself out, earning myself splinters all along my arms. I flopped onto the wooden floor and waited. After less than fifteen minutes later, I felt my tail start to pull apart and I bit my gag to keep from screaming from the pain. Fifteen more minutes later, I had legs. They were sore and starkly naked, but it was enough to make me look human. I hit them repeatedly with my fists, easily making bruises on my soft, fleshy legs. They were just appearing as I heard thumps coming closer. I conjured tears and rubbed my eyes to make them look puffy. Luckily, I was dirty enough after pulling myself out and rolling on the floor in pain.

A fat man in rich clothing walked right past me, looking confusedly into each cell. He was followed by two other expensively dressed men and the group was headed off by Kirkland. The fat man was furious. "You promised a mermaid, Pirate. Where is she?" Kirkland didn't answer, staring in disbelief at me. I put on the act with wide eyes and fear as if I had been a village girl from another land. Kirkland's disbelief turned to rage as he flung open the door to my cell, storming over to me. He grabbed my neck harshly and lifted up up to his eye level. The tears quickly turned real as I thrashed about in his grip. "What have you done, Mermaid?!" He shouted in my face as he started to squeeze my neck. I coughed through the gag as the two silent men rushed in and started pulling him off of me. The fat man undid my gag, letting me speak freely. "Please help me, he took me from my home," I pleaded. My speech was broken and uneven, but I hoped that none of the men would question it. Kirkland quickly pulled the fat man away and had the three strangers escorted off of his ship by two burly men that were easily taller than him.

I tried not to grin in victory as Kirkland lifted me up again by my neck, a dark look engulfing his face. "You've cost me quite a bit, Mermaid. How do you think you're going to pay me back for all that gold?" He held a gun in his free hand, pointing it point blank at my chest. I didn't even feel fear as I looked directly into his green, green eyes. I heard a familiar voice from the doorway. "Captain, please," pleaded Ren, "Maybe we should actually talk to her instead of just having a prisoner. Her reason for doing this is sound, please." Kirkland growled before throwing me down. "Fine. Explain yourself quickly, Mermaid, before I sell you for other reasons." Taking a breath, I started talking with difficulty. "I need your help. My mate was taken by a man with red hair and your eyes and I want to save him." His eyes bored into my own as he tried to determine if I was lying or not. Ren carefully tapped his shoulder. "Sir," he whispered,"I think she's telling the truth. She's been saying that since she woke up." Thinking it over in his head, Kirkland never gave a clear answer. Instead he stated in a reluctant tone towards Ren, "Get her some proper clothes. She has to stay in here, so make sure to get her an extra cot. I'll go around town and find information on Allistair."

After he and Ren left, I felt ecstatic. Finally, some progress on saving Lovi before it was too late. I jumped around the short room, spinning on my toes and grinning like a fool. If I were in water, I'd be doing somersaults and joyful trills to Lovino. My joy was short lived, however, as my flimsy human feet snagged on the air and I tumbled into the tub. Unable to break my fall with my bound wrists, I thumped my head on the side and was fast unconscious.

-

When I woke up, it was to furious screaming nearby. I felt exhausted as I attempted to turn, the water underneath me sloshing as I curled up in my bed. Then my tail hit the side of the tub. I bolted up, cursing myself for being so clumsy. It was dark outside, so I had easily been submerged long enough for those flimsy legs to turn back into a gorgeous fin. I looked around to find the source of the incoherent yelling only to find Kirkland screaming at Ren. I didn't even try to translate as I once more pulled myself out of the tub. My body thumping on the floor was loud enough to catch their attention as Kirkland switched his attention to me. "What the bloody hell, Mermaid? What the fuck happened to your legs?" He screamed. I put on a mask of disinterest before I answered, "Just wait a little while." He redirected his attention just as I spotted a cloth on the floor in front of him. I reached over and sped up the process of changing my tail to legs by drying it with the cloth. Ren stopped listening, watching my actions. Once I felt the ache of flesh tearing apart, I stopped using the cloth. I arched my back in pain as the ripping became audible, biting on the cloth to keep from screaming too loud. The sound caught Kirkland's attention, easily ending his tirade about keeping me supervised. My screams grew in volume as the flesh snapped the last few fibers, successfully giving me legs. It took another minute for the wounds on the insides to close, but by then the pain had subsided. Once my legs were whole, I stood up and acted like what just happened was an everyday occurrence.

It was silent in my cell until Kirkland finally broke the tense silence.

"You have some fucking explaining to do, Mermaid."


	4. Surprises can come from anywhere

"By the look on your face, I can see that you still don't 'get' mermaid magic."

I had spent hours trying to explain my magic to the thickest man I had ever met. It had been at least two since Ren gave up trying to help, so now it was just me and Kirkland. "It's not that I don't understand, it's that I don't know why you would use it. Don't you have a limited supply of magic?" I sighed, rubbing my temples. "Yes, sort of. It comes from the ocean, but over time." The way his eyebrows furrowed as he processed the information for the fifth time that night. "Alright, so kind of like mussels on the bottom of a ship, but in a good way," he mumbled. "Yes!" I wouldn't have shouted, but the conversation was starting to get old. He shot me a glare before asking what I hoped was his final question. "You talked about a heart connection," he said. "What does it feel like?"

I took a deep breath and collected my thoughts. "It's difficult to explain, really. You're connected to your mate in a way that isn't quite spiritual and isn't quite magical. You feel their emotions, and it often affects your emotions. It's very difficult to deal with, especially if your mate dies, so most Merpeople don't make the heart connection with their mates until they're emotionally matured. My mate and I bonded young, which is rare for most Merpeople." Kirkland gave me a look of confusion. "So you can tell when your mate is in danger just by their emotions? What is your mate feeling now?" I was starting to get tired of his ignorant questions.

"Kirkland, my mate's emotions are not for me to share. It's something private that isn't meant to be spread around like a disease," I huffed. Honestly, he couldn't get more invasive with his questions. Suddenly, his face was directly in front of mine, an uncharacteristically lusty look on his face. His voice was low and gravelly, which improved his allure quite a bit. "Maybe you could show me instead, then. After all, there's no harm in that, is there?" My face grew warm as his body drew closer, insinuating acts that I haven't even done with Lovino. An idea popped into my head as I put my face into the crook of his neck. If he wanted to know what my mate was feeling, he would get just that. I bit his neck, causing him to make a noise between a growl and a moan that set my nerves on edge. I hesitated for a moment before thrusting my sharp teeth into his skin. After holding them there, I started to feel a piece of myself drift off and a strange, cold feeling placed itself with Lovino's longing and pain. This new feeling was full of pain and anger. I didn't even realize Kirkland's struggling to throw me off until my teeth released his red flesh and I was tossed across the room like a boned fish.

"What the fuck was that, Mermaid?" He practically screamed at me as he dabbed at the gashes I had left and I licked the remnants of his blood off of my lips. "You wanted to know how it feels," I stated calmly. He didn't ask any more questions as he stormed out of the room, thundering off to other parts of the ship I had never seen. It occurred to me that perhaps I was blunt, but a small voice in my mind told me that the connection might come in handy someday.

-

The next morning, Ren came and told me that we had gotten a lead on this Allistair. All I could do was hope that we would be fast enough to find Lovi before it was too late. Sitting in my silent cell, I wondered if Lovi could tell that someone else had been introduced to our heart connection. I felt the guilt fester within me, though the guilt didn't seem to be all my own. The cold feelings were no warmer than they had been, but the guilt was still there. It was accompanied by a lingering anger that didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon. I wondered if he could feel my guilt nagging at him in the back of his head.

I paced around my cell, deciding to use these flimsy legs during the day and sleeping in the tub at night. I had tried the cot, but found the tub much more comforting. The water made it almost feel like home. Loneliness swept in, mingling with the guilt to create a hole in my torso that couldn't seem to be filled with anything. All of my other feelings were muted, even the worry from Lovino or the panic from Kirkland. I never even wondered why he would be panicked. I sat against the wall of my cell, half-heartedly tapping my fingers on the wooden floor.

I didn't notice the rushing footsteps on the deck above me, or the noises of shouting from sailor to sailor. The only thing I did notice was Peter rushing into the cell, his face pale and alert. I lifted up my head with a silent yet heavy sigh, putting on a mask of worry. "What's wrong, little one?" His answer was enough for me to temporarily forget the empty hole eating at me from the inside.

"We've been caught by the Navy, they're going to search the ship. If they find you, they're going to take you away from us. Come on, we have to hide!" His tiny hands grabbed mine and started pulling me out of the cell. I obliged, allowing him to drag me further into the depths of the ship. I could hear heavy, uniform thumps on the deck above us. Peter pulled me into a large room with cannons secured to the floor next to holes in the sides. One side was letting light in while the other faced a ship painted white and blue with golden borders. If it hadn't been for the child's insistence, I would have stopped and watched the ship. He led me to be tucked into a small space filled with sticks with cloth tied to the ends. "I'm sorry," he blurted as he quickly shut the door on me, leaving me in the complete dark in the tiny room.

I could hear more shouting above me, along with the routine thumps getting closer. Most of them passed me, going deeper into the ship to look for contraband. Kirkland's emotions were nervous and worried. Obviously, Peter had acted on his own without telling Kirkland as surprise was added after the methodic thumps returned upstairs. I waited to Peter to return and let me know everything was alright, listening to the stark silence in a dark that rivaled the deep ocean. I couldn't even hear the faint vibrations of voices through the wood anymore.

I was blinded as the door to the tiny room was thrown open. I used my arm to try and shield myself from the light, but it didn't last long as a hand pulled me out and flung me onto the floor. Winded, I had enough strength to turn around and look into the barrel of the thin gun pointed at me. I heard an accented voice talking to Kirkland, a voice like calm waters on a summer day. I belonged to a tan man with hair that was only a few shades lighter than Lovino's, except curly and neatly trimmed. It highlighted the eyes that seemed to be full of joy his face wouldn't show, which were the color of water-filtered sun beams. He was wearing a red and gold coat that seemed duller than Kirkland's, but it matched the uniforms of the men surrounding us. "I have to say, Kirkland, I'm surprised that we didn't find the usual contraband. I never took you for the type for trafficking, though." The new man turned to me, his gaze much softer than it had been towards Kirkland. "Hola, señora. Are you hurt at all?" I was so fazed that it took me a moment to respond. "No, I'm not hurt. Kirkland was helping me find someone." He looked perplexed, turning to Kirkland to give him a look before returning his gaze to me. "Would you mind coming with me, señora? I want to ask you some things on my ship." I shook my head, but he didn't seem to listen as the man pointing a gun at me lifted me onto his shoulder. He carried me to the top deck, which was much brighter than the light had been in the room with the cannons. I thrashed in the man's grip as we started crossing over a thin board connecting the two ships. The one with the accent yelled something as the man carrying me lost his balance, dropping both of us into the deep waters below.

Never had I been more revitalized as my gorgeous navy tail returned. The cool water was like a breath of new air. I saw the man that had been holding me thrashing in the water. Part of me hesitated, but I ultimately decided to grab him and lift him back above water. He started climbing evenly spaced boards back up the ship as I swam back underwater. I almost didn't want to return, but I swam to the opposite side of Kirkland's ship and started climbing the rings there. It was difficult enough with a tail, yet I didn't let that stop me. After a while, I perched myself on the rail of the ship, wringing excess water out of my hair. Kirkland and the brown-haired man were arguing. Kirkland was holding the man back as he tried to shed his jacket and jump over the rail. As amusing as it was to watch, all I had to do was speak to completely silence the ship. "What are you two so worried about? Is there something important down there?"

I used all of my self-control to not grin from ear to ear as the brown-haired man froze and faced me. His face was one of complete shock, as were those of his and Kirkland's crews. I winced as the scales on my fin shed off, giving me fleshy legs bleeding silver. Somehow, it didn't hurt as much as it had before. I must be getting used to the pain. I swung my feet onto the deck, gently skipping my way over to the two captains. The accented one didn't speak, prompting Kirkland to sigh, saying, "Antonio, this is.. Natasha. She's a mermaid."


	5. Sometimes they hurt more than you know

As if I hadn't had enough nights filled with explaining what I was, I had the absolute privilege of telling Captain Antonio Fernandez Carriedo what the situation was. About halfway through, my voice turned rough and started cracking, allowing me to find out that Carriedo spoke sign as well. That discovery made it much easier to get him caught up as we sat in Kirkland's plush cabin. When I finished, Carriedo sighed, turning his sparkling eyes to Kirkland. "Amigo, what have you gotten yourself into? Allistair is bad enough, not to mention asking to be bitten by a mermaid, but trying to sell her on the black market? That's just not good luck." Even with a serious tone, Carriedo managed to sound almost cheery about the situation. With a dead serious look on his face, Kirkland sighed. He looked older, small creases in his face being more prominent as he tried to think of something to say. "I have a favor to ask, Antonio. It isn't going to be a good one, though." As Carriedo leaned in to listen, I took the opportunity to slip out of the room and onto the deck unnoticed.

I realized that this was the first time I had actually been on the deck. At least, long enough to take in my surroundings. Men were scurrying around everywhere, each one with a job. The ones from Carriedo's ship were going back and forth between the ships like this was normal for them. I didn't pay any attention to them until one of them approached me.

"Excuse me, miss. My name is Aníbal, I'm from the Providence, Captain Carriedo's ship." I looked at him curiously, but not saying anything to interrupt him. "I'm sorry miss," he continued, "I just wanted to thank you. You saved my best friend from drowning without even knowing who he was." I wrapped my head around this information with surprise before attempting a smile. "It isn't a problem. I'm sure that if anyone could swim, they would have done the same." Aníbal looked hesitant, like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't have a chance to before a shot rang out, shattering wood accompanying it. Aníbal pushed me to the floor as people around us did the same, trying to avoid being hit by a wild bullet. It was then that we could hear the shouting coming from Kirkland's cabin.

"You can't be serious! How the fuck did you even think that was a good idea, Kirkland?" "Antonio, calm down, let me explain further-" "I'm not going to calm down! I joined the Navy to get away from that life while I still could and you want me to throw away everything I worked for?" Another shot, more splintering wood. The cold figure in my head was overcome with fear that he was desperately trying to hide. I bolted from under Aníbal and into the plush room, throwing myself between Carriedo and Kirkland. They were already spread apart, with Kirkland crouched and Carriedo pointing a gun at him. Both of them seemed fairly surprised that I was the one who burst in. Maybe they expected a crew member, but not the precious mermaid.

"Whatever you two are arguing about, can it be resolved without shooting at each other?" Taking a stance that would show me as the dominant one, I shot glares at the two men. "Carriedo, put the gun away and sit down. Kirkland, get off the floor and sit with Carriedo." Amazing, they both did as I said even though I didn't use any magic to enchant them the way I usually would. Kirkland was even blushing somewhat as I stood in front of them. "Now, tell me why you're fighting."

Carriedo was the first to talk, saying, "Kirkland wanted me to join you on your journey as a form of extra protection." I nodded, thinking for a moment. "Judging from your violent reaction, you're very much against that idea." Nodding from both of the men. "And you thought it would be a good idea to start shooting instead of coming to an agreement?" Again with the nodding, with their heads hung in shame. If anyone didn't know better, I could have been the captain instead. Secretly, I thanked one of my instructors for making us all military-ready just in case we enlisted.

After thinking for a while, I snapped my fingers with a resolution in my mind. "Carriedo, what if you came with us-" He opened his mouth to protest, quickly closing it to a finger telling him to wait. "You come with us and once this has all been resolved, you can take Kirkland to be judged or however you humans take care of criminals." Both men were quiet. Carriedo seemed to think it over while Kirkland jumped up, shouting once more. "Are you bloody mad? If I'm caught, I'll be executed for piracy!" I gave him a cold stare, obviously not in the mood to argue. "If that was your biggest concern, perhaps you shouldn't have become a pirate. Especially if you knew the consequences." Carriedo put a hand on Kirkland's shoulder, smiling and back to his cheery self. "Amigo, there are ways for this to work out for all of us. I'll go tell my men that we'll be traveling alongside the Silent Siren." With that, he left the two of us alone in the cabin.

The look Kirkland gave me was furious, but I knew that the fury was surface deep. It was just something to cover up the relief he felt for someone not only saving his life but also coming to a solution with Carriedo. My expression remained cold and steely, as it had been for the longest time before I met Lovino. Kirkland was yelling at me for being stupid and giving his life or something, but all of that was drowned out by the sorrow coming back in new waves. All of the life felt like it was being sucked out of my body as my mind travelled to Lovi's. I could feel the pain of cuts and bruises all over his body, the staleness of the water he was kept in. Oh, oh, Lovino, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I let this happen to you, I though. I almost felt tears come to my eyes as I felt him realize that I was there. Looking through his eyes, everything was much darker and dirtier than it was on my ship. I felt the sting of tears dripping into open wounds on his face and the total silence of the room as a weight on his shoulders. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and bring him back, but I couldn't even reach out mentally as I felt myself get dragged back to my own body.

-

I woke up on a fairly plush surface that I couldn't recognize. My legs ached and my head throbbed. I gingerly sat up and immediately spotted a concerned Carriedo and a worried Kirkland. "Chica, are you alright? You've been out for almost an hour!" I winced at the volume of the tan man's voice. He frowned and continued in a lower voice, "What happened? You were fine, but just collapsed and you wouldn't wake up." I almost didn't want to answer, sadness mixing with everything Lovino had been feeling. I finally replied in a soft voice, "It's kind of complicated. I kind of just...visited my mate's mind." Warm tears started rushing down my face, but they were nonexistent to my senses. I gently traced the semi-circular scar on my left shoulder that Lovi had made when we marked each other. I didn't want to be awake, where pain was constant and even the faint light pouring through colored glass hurt my head. I barely registered hitting the plush surface again as I fell into a swift and deep sleep.


	6. Sometimes they provide insight

The next few days were a complete haze as I travelled in and out of consciousness. When I was awake, I had barely enough strength to get up and when I was asleep, I saw the world through my mate's eyes. Vaguely, I remembered one of my instructors talking about how if one mate was in trouble, the other would be pulled into their mind to see their surroundings so that they could be saved. I never thought it would be anything like this agony. Most of what I saw was the surroundings and the man that had stabbed me and thrown me back into the water. Both of us felt a burning hatred for the red-haired man. When I was awake, I barely had enough time to tell Kirkland and Carriedo what I saw before I fell back to sleep. Most often, I wouldn't even complete the thought. On the evening of what I was told was the third day, the visions gave way to an exhausted blackness.

I woke up with a start the next morning, my body full of energy that I had not felt in days. I still worried about Lovino, but the visions had stopped haunting me altogether. Neither Carriedo nor Kirkland were in the room, but there was a small figure putting pressure on my legs. I looked down and found Peter, sound asleep and clutching the plush covering on the cot. I gently shook him awake, only to have the child latch himself onto my torso the second he looked at me. "Natasha, I'm so glad you're awake," he said excitedly, "Arthur and Antonio and Ren and I have been so worried and it was so scary to see you like that!"

Coming out of the temporary shock of having this child latch onto me, I gently stroked his tangled hair. "What do you mean, little one? I've only been asleep." He looked at me, an uncharacteristic frown decorating his face. "You kept thrashing about and calling out for someone. We tried to wake you up so many times, but you kept hitting us away." I frowned, not remembering doing anything of the sort. Nonetheless, I tried to mimic the movement Peter had been doing, wrapping my arms around his figure. It seemed to be the right thing to do as he buried his face into my shoulder.

Once he had calmed down, I stood up, carefully holding his little hand as he rubbed his slightly puffy eyes and irritated nose. Walking slowly, I walked out onto the main deck. No one noticed at first, but as we looked around, people started stopping and watching us. Soon enough, everything was totally silent. This caught someone's attention as familiar thumping boots stormed down onto the main deck. That bright red and gold coat that could have been a target swished around his legs as those green eyes scanned the deck with a scowl. Over these days, I had come to miss everything about him. Scrunching up my face, I pushed away any false feelings I may have had about Kirkland. Any feeling of attachment were obviously his own, contorting my emotions into something else. As I was lost in my thoughts, Kirkland had been yelling at his crew, none of whom had taken their eyes off of me. Finally, Kirkland turned and spotted my figure along with little Peter, who cowered behind me in fear of being punished for whatever reason. I stared at Kirkland, resolving to not show any emotion if it was possible.

Before I knew it, Kirkland was grabbing my shoulders with a wide, stupid grin on his face. "You've finally woken up! I was afraid that you were dying, the way you were trashing about," he practically shouted into my face. I didn't reply as everything I had seen in the past few days set into place. The eyes, the patterns of cruelty, the strong jaw, they all matched up. I looked down at Peter, obviously the outlier of the family, and calmly asked him, "Peter, would you please take me back to my cell?" I didn't even look at Kirkland, the pain evident in his emotions. Quietly, Peter led me through the frozen men. My bare feet didn't make a sound as we calmly strode past them all. We didn't get far before Kirkland reached out and grabbed my arm. His grip was strong enough to bruise, but I didn't show it. Carriedo rushed up behind him, putting a calm hand on his shoulder. Releasing Peter's hand temporarily, I curled up my fist and hurled it at his face, striking him directly under his eye. The shock was enough to get him to unhand me, giving me time to slip my hand back into Peter's and continue my smooth walk back to the cell I now called home.

Once we heard the men scurry back to work, Peter stopped me, worry evident on his face. "Miss Natasha, why would you do that," he whispered. "No one ever hits Arthur, even when they're very mad!" I looked at him, letting my emotionless facade soften to try and comfort him. "Don't worry, little one, I can protect myself if I have to. I hit him because he was helping the one who took my mate." My face hardened again as I filed into the tiny cell. Someone had been keeping the water fresh, most likely Ren. That man had been a sweetheart since day one. I stepped into the water and sat down with Peter helping me keep balance. I looked at him apologetically. "I promise, Peter, I'm not mad at you. I could never be mad at you." I cracked a smile and tussled his hair playfully. He gave me a halfhearted smile, letting me know that he didn't fully believe me. After thinking for a moment, absentmindedly scratching as the scales that were already starting to poke out, I came up with an idea. "How about you come back later tonight and I'll tell you some stories from my home." His face lit up with excitement. "Really," he gasped, "You'd tell me mermaid stories?" I smiled and let out a small laugh as he skipped out of the room. Something about the child always managed to draw a smile out of me and make my heart feel warm, even when it felt the heaviest.

-

Kirkland never did visit me that night. Perhaps he thought it would be best if he left me alone. Smart man, considering his relative. That damned red-haired man had appeared many times while I was watching through Lovi's eyes. He often spoke, but there was an accent even thicker than Carriedo's. Translating wasn't as easy as it should have been in Lovi's mind.

Peter, however, arrived late and full of tangible excitement. He was an apt listener as I told him about my family. "I have an older brother and sister," I said. "They raised me since I was as small as you. Katyusha, my sister, is the oldest. She pretty much raised Ivan, my brother. She has to be the most beautiful mermaid I know. She has hair that's much lighter than mine an eyes like the summer sky. Ivan has silvery hair and eyes that my sister would compare to purple coral. I was never as pretty as them, though." Peter interrupted me, looking a little mad. "Are you kidding? You're the most beautifulest person I know, even if you are a mermaid!" I smiled gently and poked his nose. "You must remember, little one, all merpeople are beautiful. It's in our nature as predators." He lost the angry look and almost seemed sad. "Oh, yeah," he murmured. He looked at me, a new question obviously on his mind. "Natasha, you said you were out with someone you love when you got caught. Were you going to sink the ship and eat the people?"

I took a second to process the question before sweetly shaking my head. "No, little one. My mate and I aren't old enough to be hunters." He cocked his head at me, obviously confused. I sighed and thought of a way to explain. "Well, Merpeople have to be a certain age before they can do things like lure in sailors. We call those Hunters. There are also Scouts, who go out and see how far out the next ship is. Usually they have special training to swim faster than the rest of us. There's also the Soldiers, who usually protect us from people trying to hunt us. The Monarchs are typically born specially to rule and keep us in order, and they have their own soldiers called Honors that are specially trained. Harmonizers are the ones who keep us on good terms with other ocean beings like sharks and fish. Anyone who isn't old enough to choose a profession is known as a Student. From when we are old enough to sign to when we pick a profession, we are taught by Instructors. My mate and I are still Students, we have a few years until we can choose a profession."

It occurred to me while I was talking that Peter was the first human to know about these Mermish traditions. It almost felt like I was being a traitor until I realized that the secrecy was in large part due to a language barrier that no one had ever bothered to breach. After finishing my blabbering, I turned my attention to the half-asleep child. "Oh, Peter," I sighed. "You could have told me that you were getting tired." He rubbed his eyes before protesting, "I'm not tired, really! I want to hear more stories of your home." I smiled and gently brushed loose hair out of his face. "Go to bed, child. I can tell you more tomorrow, I promise." With that, he reluctantly left the room, leaving me in the dark cell until morning.


	7. But mostly they devastate

Unfortunately, the silence from Peter's absence wasn't as comforting as I thought it would be. The room was cold and silent, colder than it had been before. I wondered if we were heading somewhere much colder and heard someone clearing their throat at my door. I spun my head around and internally groaned at the sight of Kirkland. "Can't you just leave me alone? Your family has caused enough heartache." I couldn't keep the contempt out of my voice as he sauntered closer. "I heard you talking to Peter," he half-whispered. I blanched and kept my eyes away from him, afraid that they would give away my true emotions. "I suppose that it never really occurred to me that you would have a family of your own. It also occurs to me that this mate of yours is just as precious to you as your family is." He took a seat next to my tub, the strong scent of sea salt and damp earth wafting across me. "Would you tell me what you saw during your, ah, visions," he gently asked. I sighed and struggled to keep my face a steel mask.

"I saw my mate being mistreated and beaten by a man with bright red hair. At first, I didn't see the similarities, but eventually I saw the connections between you and him. Habits, subtle features, patterns that come from being raised together. You and this Allistair are brothers, aren't you?" I looked at Kirkland, the answer evident on his face. I huffed and looked away once more. "You can see why I was angry. How do I know that you haven't been working with him from the start?" He took a moment before sighing and running a hand through his hair.

"Allistair is my brother, yes. We grew up together in England, all the way up to when he left to become a sailor. He wanted to make an honest living for himself, as our mother had intended. For a while, we didn't hear anything from him and we feared the worst. Then one day, out of the blue, he showed up at our old house and asked me if I wanted to be a pirate with him. You have to understand, at the time I was very emotional. I had been an apprentice for a blacksmith for some time, but a little while before my brother came home, our mother died and left us alone. I was left trying to raise Peter by myself. We did have some uncles, but we didn't have enough money to travel to them. So, I said yes to Allistair, brought a very small Peter with me, and started my life as a pirate. About a year later, I realized that my older brother had gone mad sometime when he had disappeared. He never told anyone what happened, not even his crew. All he ever said was that he had a debt that Merpeople needed to pay. I didn't know what this meant at first, but one day we ended up slaughtering an entire colony of Merpeople. We could never get the silver stains out of the wood of the ship. At the next port, I took Peter and stole away to another ship. I knew piracy would never be erased from my history, so I worked hard and became the captain of this very ship. We do steal and cause general chaos, but mostly I try to hunt down my brother and bring him to justice for the depraved slaughter of mostly innocent creatures. This is how you know that I'm not working with that empty, crazed shell of a man."

During his speech, Kirkland's tone grew darker and more gravelly. His expression was soft and full of regret and sadness. Even his emotions were a confused mess of regret, terror, and despair. I almost had no choice to believe his story, even the vague parts. Sniffling, he swiped his nose with his sleeve and stood up, looking at me. "Whether you trust me or not is irrelevant. What's important is that you know that I'm going to save your mate from that madman." With that, he left me once more in the cold, silent darkness.

-

The next day almost seemed to crawl by. The exposed man I had seen the night before had all but disappeared, returning to the stubborn loudmouth that everyone knew. Even his emotions seemed to reflect his mood, full of mild anger mixed with annoyance. The only thing that made me think his mood was a false cover was the undertones of despair. I was allowed to walk around the top deck with Carriedo giving me clear instructions on what to do. The sailors were patient enough with teaching me how to tie various knots and do the jobs Carriedo told me to. Many of them gave me wary glances and stayed away from me, but the ones that let me talk to them seemed to have a little respect for striking a Captain without being thrown overboard.

The wind that day was almost nonexistent and the ships seemed to crawl through the calm waters. With the sun beating down on everyone and the humidity being almost unbearable, even the people seemed to be slowing down. Nearly everyone cheered when the man in the crow's nest called out land on the horizon. Their joy was short lived as they seemed to not be getting there as fast as they had wanted. I decided to go and talk to Kirkland, for the sake of the sailors.

When I found him, he was arguing with Ren about what the best course of action behind the stern. Ren seemed tired, looking like he was about to drop to the floor. "Captain, the men are going to faint or even die is they don't stop working. It's just too hot." Kirkland didn't look much better, either, having even taken off his jacket to show the thin, stiff shirt underneath. "Ren, if we stop now, we'll lose track of Allistair again. Months of hard work, lost." "Captain, we'll lose track of him again anyway because everyone on your crew will be dead." Kirkland sighed before catching sight of me. Annoyance was apparent on his face. "What do you want, mermaid," he snapped. His tone almost made me snap to attention as I stated, "I can help the ship go faster if you'd let me."

Kirkland scoffed, throwing his hands in the air. "Oh, sure, the mermaid is feeling useless so she wants to help. Look, you're not going to be able to help move two ships full of men any faster." Glaring at him, I stepped closer. Maybe it was the heat or the confusion of seeing two different Captain Kirklands. Either way, something in me cracked. Nimbly stepping up onto the bannister that lined the top deck, I walked along the ledge that was barely big enough for one of my feet to fit on. "Well, Kirkland, I suppose you're right." I moved directly behind the wheel with my back facing the ocean behind us, making Kirkland and Ren turn around to watch me with a cautious curiosity. "I'm not really useful here on this ship," I continued, "So I might as well just leave." With that last word, I stiffened my muscles and fell headfirst into the water.

The water was cool and rejuvenating, even more than it had been before. From underneath the surface, I saw Ren looking at the spot where my body hit. My tail took a while to return, but it wasn't too difficult to keep up with the already slow ship. Once it had returned, I placed my hands on the back edge just next to the rudder. Feeling the power of the ocean beneath me, I funneled some of that power into my tail and arms. Bracing myself for the weight, I started pushing the ship towards the land we had seen. At first, the change almost couldn't be felt. After a few minutes, speed had definitely picked up to what it had been the day before. In no time at all, Kirkland's ship was pushed ashore with Carriedo's ship not far behind. I swam to the edge of Kirkland's ship and lifted myself onto the steps. As I waited for my legs to return, I listened to the frantic shouting mixed with whoops of joy. I would never really understand humans, getting excited over a little island.

Once my tail was shed and replaced with legs, I completed the climb up onto the deck. Sitting on the bannister, I watched Kirkland nearly tearing his hair out. His emotions were mostly disbelief mixed with worry and anger. Part of myself doubted my actions. Was he worried about me? No, of course not. I pushed the ridiculous thought out of my head as Kirkland noticed my figure. Dropping my feet to the deck, I looked him directly in the eyes. In a loud enough voice for him to hear across the relieved sailors, I said, "Don't doubt me again."

-

Kirkland didn't even glance at me as we set out once more the next day. The wind had noticeably picked up once more and we had been able to find various fruits that were safe to eat on the island, as well as some wild animals that could be used as meat. Ren had thanked me numerous times and Peter gave me many tight hugs. Even Carriedo expressed how happy he was that I was alright. With all of the reactions, something in the back of my head wondered why they all cared so much.

Through Ren, Kirkland gave me something to do. I was stationed on the night watch to make sure we weren't attacked as we slept. Carriedo wouldn't let me guard the ships without a weapon, so he lent me a rather nice spear that was a foot taller than me. During the day, I practiced using it properly with some of the other night guards, who also taught me how to use swords and daggers. Once more I wondered why all these people were so kind to a veritable stranger. The curiosity wouldn't go away, so after we had practiced, I asked one of the people training me.

"Ya see," he started, "Th' Cap'm helped us outta lotta bad situations." He stopped to point at a scar that was drawn from his ear down to his chest. "Cap'm kep' me from dyin' when I got this. Ask any o' the other men an' they tell ya pretty much the same thing. A lotta us learnt tha' a lil' kindness goes a long way, y'know? We feel like we kinda owe it to th' Cap'm to be decen' tah newcomers." The man's accent was atrocious, but I got the overall message.

As we sat talking, I noticed that the ship had all but stopped. It didn't take long for a familiar scent to make my stomach drop to the bottom of the deepest depths. I dashed to the main deck, afraid that my fears were true. Once I reached the deck, I almost ran into Kirkland's strong chest. He grabbed my arms, a darkly sad look on his face. "Natasha, you should go back below deck." Blood rushed out of my legs. Nothing was serious enough to have him call me by name. Pushing him to the side, I strode to the bannister where many sailors were gathered with looks of disgust and sorrow. I could smell it before I saw it. A merman, a dead merman, tied to a jagged rock with a sign around his neck. The ocean around it was nearly pure silver, all streaming from the hole where his tail used to be. Tears flooded my eyes as I demanded, "What does the sign say." Kirkland murmured behind me an answer that I could never forget.

"The fate of all mermaids."


	8. They tear lovers and families apart

"Can you run that by me one more time, Mermaid?"

With all hints of sympathy gone from his voice, Kirkland held my arm with the grip of a shark's jaw. I sighed and jerked my arm out of his grasp. "I told you, Kirkland. I want to give him a proper funeral. It doesn't matter if I knew him or not, that merman is from my people and he doesn't deserve to rest like this." I gestured to the sick display, not having the heart to actually look at it. With a noise similar to that of a whale's groan, Kirkland ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, you can lay him to rest, but someone has to go with you." Feeling the worry in his heart, I felt that it would be easier just to go with his wishes. "Can any of your men actually swim? I was under the impression that pirates can't actually swim." At this, Carriedo stepped forward to everyone's surprise.

"I can swim, chica. Not as well as a mermaid, but well enough." Neither of us even had time to react before he stripped off his jacket and hat, revealing the rather tight brown pants and rather loose white shirt. Somehow, he managed to pull it off better than Kirkland did. I think Kirkland realized this as he started stammering, blood flushing through his face. "You can't just go in there, Carriedo!" With a smile on his face, Carriedo had no trouble shooting down the argument. "You were about to let miss Natasha go in. Who can watch over her better than me in this situation?" Before Kirkland had the chance to reply, Carriedo took my hand and jumped over the side of the ship with me.

The second we hit the water, the overwhelming stench of silvery blood washed over me. I could feel it sticking to every pore on my body and adamantly refusing to ever leave. Carriedo bobbed up to the surface, dragging me with him. I frantically fought to keep myself focused and not completely acting out from of the wrongness of it all. Carriedo must have caught onto this as he grabbed my shoulders, looking me in the eyes. The light pressure of his hands mixed with his general calmness was enough to help me keep control over myself. After a moment, we shared a look and started swimming over the body. The entire time, Carriedo kept a hand on my shoulder.

It took a while to get through the soaked ropes, even with the small knife Carriedo had brought along. Once the poor merman was freed, I crossed his scarred arms over his chest. I nervously sang what I knew as his body started to sink in the thick water. "May the gods welcome you into their arms, brother. You were taken from us too soon by forces out of our control. May justice be sought for those who took your life before its time. Rest now, brother, in the ocean where the current always flows."

The body half of the merman was long gone by the time I finished. Carriedo was staring at me in wonder as I turned around and swam back to the ship. As I heaved myself onto the deck, I noticed the silence surrounding us. Looking around, I realized that the men of both ships were enchanted by the song. As it had not been directed towards them, they didn't jump in the water or crash the ships, yet they were still mesmerized. Before they could react to Carriedo and I being back onboard, I slipped to the little cell I spent most of my days in. I picked up the cleanest cloth I could and, using the water from the tub, scrubbed the silver liquid from my pores. I even dunked my head in the shallow water and scrubbed it from my scalp. Surprisingly, Merpeople's blood was one of the few things that could be used against other Merpeople. Prolonged exposure to another Merperson's blood could drive one to madness or even to death. The only explanation we had for it was that the parts that made the blood silver was toxic.

It took a surprisingly long time for Kirkland to visit me in my cell. His face still showed the stun he had felt earlier from hearing my song. "I take it the funeral went well, then," he mumbled. My voice refused to make words, so I just nodded. Somehow it made me feel better that he at least cared enough to come and check on me. "I wasn't able to tell you earlier, but.." He trailed off for a moment. He cleared his throat and looked at me. "I'm glad that you're okay. You seemed to be hit pretty hard, seeing one of your kind like that." I bristled at the term, realizing that he didn't really see us as equals. He didn't see me as an equal, after everything that we had gone through. It was disturbing to say the least, in some part of my mind.

-

The conversation that followed was largely one-sided. My voice had come back, but I didn't feel like talking and Kirkland still didn't understand sign. Most of what Kirkland talked about was where we were going and how long it would take to get there. I didn't really feel like caring about it, but I listened anyway. All of his words ended up going in through one ear and right back out the other. He either didn't mind or didn't notice as he quibbled through the night. Eventually he left for the both of us to sleep.

The hollow feeling was back, leaving me moving like a puppet. Nothing I did really mattered, it was just a placeholder for someone else to replace later. I went about doing what I could, taking my stance on deck that night. Other than the low hum of the winds pushing us along, it was completely quiet. Most of the others had fallen asleep, leaving me awake and almost completely alone. At one point I noticed a hum that had blended in with the wind. I looked over the side of the ship and saw two mermaids. They almost looked related as the beckoned me down to them. Checking for anyone else coming, I slowly climbed down the rungs on the side of the ship to get closer to the water.

Once I was close enough, I was able to spots on their necks that showed that they were mates. "We want to thank you, child," signed one. "You returned our son to his ocean home and gave him a beautiful farewell." The other sniffed and wiped her eyes. "You've come so far, child," stated the first one, "with such unexpected companions. They must truly care about your journey. May we ask why you have strayed this far?" I almost didn't know what to say to this. Slowly, I replied, "My mate was taken from me. My companions are helping me get him back." The two of them nodded and the sniffly one signed back, "We will give your ship a push to the nearest island as a form of our gratitude." I forced a smile and thanked her before climbing back onto the deck.

The men were still asleep when I returned, and none seemed to notice the ship's increased speed. My heart was pounding much too fast for me to be tired. Never would I have thought of the couple thanking me for paying respects to their son. It was something that anyone would have done. I decided to let it drop as I patrolled around the top deck. At this time, I saw the land off the port side of the ship. Turning around, I started towards Kirkland's quarters, only to be immediately met by a pair of light green eyes that seemed to illuminate a cocky smile. "Sorry, sheila, but this has to be done." With that, he punched me right under the jaw.

I woke up in a dark area that stank of Merpeople blood and stale water. My arms were tied tightly behind me and a disgusting gag was stuffed into my mouth. I looked around blearily, hearing someone else thrashing around in shallow water nearby. Once my eyes adjusted to the dark, I laid my eyes on a familiar figure I had hoped to see differently. His olive eyes were filled with tears with shallow cuts blemishing his beautiful tan skin. He slapped his tail urgently in the shallow water he was being kept in. He wanted to warn me about something, he wanted to talk to me. All of his emotions were overwritten with panic and sadness.

The man with the green eyes so close to Kirkland's kicked his tub in an effort to make him be quiet. His dark brown hair was teased into small spikes that fell across his head. A bandage was taped across his nose, just barely covering a healing gash. My mate whimpered, something I hadn't heard since long before we became mates. The brown haired man turned his attention to someone behind me with a smirk on his face. "Whaddya think, Allistair? This the pair ya need?" Before an answer was given, someone grabbed a bunch of my hair and started pulling me off. As I started to scream through the gag, a rough, calloused hand grabbed my throat and tossed me into the same tub as my mate. Glaring back at the owner of the hands, I saw the face of the man I had been having nightmares about, the red-haired Kirkland. With an animalistic grin, he nodded at the other man. "Aye, Jett," he declared in a growl, "This' jus' wha' ah need."


	9. Only to put them together again

Dawn took its time arriving. I hoped that the arrival of the sun would cause the ship to start moving for the sake of not being caught. Kirkland's emotions were already overwhelmed with panic. Something must have woken him up early. I sincerely hoped that he would find us once we started sailing. Shifting around, I rested my eyes on the sleeping figure of Lovino. My poor mate was battered and bruised like there was no tomorrow. The cuts on his face had started healing, but there was no way to clean the silver off of his face and body. The body I ached to hold and love as I had so many times before. The body that was within my reach that I was denied the ability to hold.

I couldn't rest as my mate slept. One of us had to stay awake, and Lovino had barely gotten any sleep the entire time he was on this cursed ship. Even asleep, he looked exhausted both mentally and physically. The dirt and blood on his face was cracked around his eyes and forehead where wrinkles had formed in pain and worry. The creases were some of the only relatively clean areas on his body.

Hearing the familiar thump of boots on wood, I jerked to attention. Moving in front of Lovino's sleeping figure, I brought my guard up, prepared for whoever was coming. I wasn't about to be separated from him again, even if it was the last thing I did. The mad red haired pirate strolled past the other cells, hitting a stick against them to rile up whatever was inside. Instead of yells or pleads for mercy, a chorus of muffled grunting and splashing grew with each cage he struck. A pit fell through my stomach as I recognized the sounds. Each of these cells was crowded with other Merpeople, each one in pairs. Some were crying, others were just screaming in a futile attempt to deafen our captors.

Allistair Kirkland's vibrant green eyes stayed locked on mine as he made his way to our cell at the end of the passage. Malice oozed from his very being with that cocky smirk on his face. Before I knew it, I was staring at him above me, on the other side of my cell. A long roll of brown paper stuck out of his mouth, the end glowing a dim red. Taking a deep breath, he released a foul-smelling cloud into our cell. Struggling to not choke on the cloud, I shot him one of my best glares. This just seemed to amuse him.

"Ye' know, mermaid, I like ye'. If ye' were human, I'd prolly take ye as m'wife. Nice 'n fierce, not tae mention beaui'ful tae boot. Half these mermaid in here, they jus' dun have the same spark." His eyes strayed from my face to my now bare torso. The other man had all but ripped it off once I woke up. Kirkland's eyes locked onto the semi-circular scar on my shoulder. The smirk on his face grew into a grin. "Tha's another thing. This one, 'es yer mate, ain't he?" He gave me a moment to answer, which I didn't. He just shook his head, the stupid grin staying plastered on his face as he blew another cloud into the small room. "Tha's fine. Ye dun have tae answer. Everyone here's a mates pair. O'course, none o' them understand me. Ye seem tae, which is why I'm talkin' tae ye. I figure, yer gon' die anyway, so there's no harm in tellin' ye what'll happen."

"Ye see, when I was a wee lad, I became a sailor, jus' like m'father. Only problem was, a few months in, we got stranded deep in mermaid territory. They found us, but they didn' kill us an' make it quick. Nah, they circled us for a month, singin' tha' damned song. My Cap'n, he was one of the firs' tae jump over. Weak, 'e was. Maybe half the men join'd him in the water. The others went mad, actin' like nothin' was wrong. Just doin' wha' they did until they dropped dead. On'y a few men survived, an' they're on m'crew now. They're loyal, awright, an' devoted to the cause. Y'see, when we finally got out, we made a pact. With my magic an' the crew's help, we're gonnae end the lives of all mermaids. Startin' with seven pairs o' mates."

He burst out laughing at the sight of my horrified expression. "An' here I though' ye didn' have any emotions. Dun worry, it won' take long. We jus' have tae get to the righ' place an' wait for the righ' time. I have tae admit, I only let ye go the firs' time 'cause I though' ye were related. Didn' even see the mark on yer shoulder, I should'a checked. Not tha' it matters now, of course. All tha' matters now is getting' the job done." With that, he huffed one last cloud puff into the smothering room before heading back out past the other cages, smacking them each once more with a stick. 

_Apologies for the shorter chapter, but I know that the next one will be much longer. I'm trying to work on another fic, but it shouldn't distract me too much from finishing this one._


	10. With all the wrong pieces

The most terrible thing about knowing what's going to happen is not knowing when it will happen. Even when Lovino was awake, I didn't want to tell him that we might die soon. Not that I could, with my hands behind my back. Instead, I cuddled up against him. I hated this feeling of being totally useless when I knew that I should be doing something, anything to get us out of this situation. Even if I did find a way to get Lovino and I out, I couldn't just let the other Merpeople die. The most I had seen of the others so far was a male in the cell next to us with bright pink hair and stunning blue eyes lined with dark circles that aged them farther than should be possible. Across from that cell was a familiar crop of silvery blonde hair, matted by dried blood. If it weren't for the normally sparkling light blue eyes that were lined with red from exhaustion and tears, I wouldn't have recognized my own sister. Katyusha's usually vibrant smile was nowhere in sight, the lines etched into her face covered in dried muck, blood, and tears.

I never saw who the two of them were with. I doubted that Katyusha even knew that I was there. The only time she ever reacted to anything was when her mate gently shook her. I felt so ashamed that I never spent enough time with her to even know that she had a mate. Part of it was her being gone, doing her duty, but most of it was my own selfish wants of being around Lovino more. But, as always, hindsight is perfect. As for the pink-haired merman, he seemed to be worried about his own mate. Whenever he wasn't looking at the one next to him, his eyes were darting around on high alert. It made me wonder how old he was and what his duty was. In a way I can't describe, he was almost familiar to me, as if I had seen him before but not talked to him.

A small shift behind me told me that Lovino was awake once more. Before I could turn around, I felt him tugging at the bindings around my wrists. His own motion was limited, but he tried pulling, sawing with his nails, shifting, pretty much everything he could. It almost seemed like a futile attempt until I felt the bindings get looser. Not enough for them to fell off, but enough to give me more freedom. He let out a small laugh out of triumph and started working on the rope again. Gradually, the rope got looser, to the point where I could likely pull my hands out with ease. I would have let him continue if it weren't for the chorus of thunks from the stairway. Slapping his hands away from mine, I leaned against him and feigned sleep. Lovi seemed to get the idea and leaned his head against mine.

Carefully, I cracked open one eye and watched the green eyed man, Jett, lead a pack of six or seven men. One by one, they peeled off and opened the cages, hauling the mermaids out on their shoulders. Jett stopped in front of our cell and looked down at me with a condescending smirk. He opened the cell door and picked me up almost effortlessly. As he reached for Lovino, I nudged my face against his back, effectively knocking off the disgusting gag. Before Jett could react, I slammed my tail into his gut. Stumbling back, he loosened his hold on me enough for me to sink all of my fangs into his fleshy, pulsing neck. Clenching my jaw, I tore my head away, taking a good chunk of his throat with me with a sickening peeling noise. For a moment, Jett stood there frozen. Then, in the stiff, sudden silence of the small hallway, his warm body fell to the floor with an uneventful thump.

I forced my hands out of the rope and tore the gag off of my neck as the man carrying my sister and her mate dropped them harshly and came at me. My tail wasn't yet dry enough to peel off into legs, giving him the advantage of speed and agility. Unable to get up and defend myself, he easily hoisted me up by the neck, which was quickly becoming much to common for comfort. He growled something in an accent too heavy for me to understand as he tightened his hold on my throat. I let out a choke and tried to scratch along his arms. He just grinned sadistically, tightening his grip once more. Just as black encroached on my vision, he let out a cry and dropped me to the floor. Gasping for air, I was momentarily blind. Moments later, I regained my vision and saw my sister with the gag around her neck, her mouth stained with the red blood of the man who had been holding me. She spat out something that looked stringy, glaring at the man as he rolled on the floor, clutching his leg and screaming.

Her usually vibrant blue and yellow speckled tail was gone, replaced with a pair of damp legs. Many of the other merpeople's tails were drying out as well, including my own. The remaining men seemed alarmed at this development. Before they could run out and raise the alarm, a mermaid with long, dark brown hair sprinted to the stairway and sealed the door, locking it with a wooden bar. A fierce fire sparked out of her exhausted light brown eyes, silently daring any of the men to try and force her away.

I pushed myself to my feet, facing the men that seemed shocked to suddenly find themselves outnumbered. Lovino stood up next to me, his hands now free thanks to the same technique he had used on my ropes earlier. I spotted the pink-haired merman again, still being held by one of the men. He kicked at the man, but it didn't seem to affect him too much. Another merman on the ground with silvery white hair carefully aimed his new feet and thrust them into the pirate's stomach. Before the terrified pink one hit the ground, all hell seemed to break loose on the deck above us.

As the men were distracted by the cacophony of gunfire, shouting, and footsteps, I signed discreetly to Lovi. He nodded and soundlessly snatched a dagger off of Jett before disappearing past the men's feet. With a smirk, I cracked my knuckles to get the men's attention. My voice crackled as I said, "Well, gentlemen, are we going to stand around all day or are we going to fight?"

This seemed to set them off as one of them launched himself at me. With the two of us unarmed, I straightened my hand and trust it forward as he reached me, effectively impaling him. My heart started beating faster with a sick excitement that I loved, but never wanted to feel again. Other Merpeople started standing up and attacking the remaining pirates, most of them aiming to kill. My sister finished off the one that had tried to choke me as the silver-haired merman ripped off the head of the pink one's attacker. The brown haired girl stayed standing at the door, brandishing a knife that she must have picked up. A familiar light blonde merman helped my sister, tearing the heart out of a pirate that was aiming for her.

Soon enough, all of the pirates that had been sent to collect us were dead and all of the Merpeople were free. Frantic fighting was still going on overhead, giving me enough reason not to kneel and vomit on the blood stained floor. Lovino reappeared at my side with a tired smile. Despite the gathering of Merpeople around us and the timing of it all, I wrapped my arms around his neck and planted a kiss directly on his lips. He returned the affection before touching his forehead to mine. Keeping a secure grip on his hand, I turned to face the other couples. Most of them looked like they just wanted it to be over. Others, including my sister, were looking at me expectantly.

Reluctantly, I released Lovino's hand and started signing to everyone. "I know that this has been a terrible experience," I started, "but I need everyone who can fight to stay with me." Many of them nodded, letting me continue, "The crew that has been holding us captive is upstairs, fighting two other crews. I can promise you that they're friendly, but whatever you do, don't get caught again." At this, some rolled their eyes. "I know that sounds silly, but the Captain is planning us sacrificing us to get rid of all Merpeople. He may have already started for all I know. If we get caught, he will succeed. If he dies, we can go home. Let that be your motivation."

It was eerily silent when I finished my speech. The fighting still continued upstairs, but all of the Merpeople had grave faces. Taking a deep breath, I walked past them and opened the door, leading them up the stairs and into battle.


	11. In all the wrong places

The others were surprisingly quick to catch on. Granted, at least half of them were trained professionally. As we crept to the top deck, they scavenged what they could for weapons from areas forgotten by the men in battle. Soon enough, everyone was armed. Even I had a fairly nice spear crafted from a broom handle and an abandoned sword. Taking a quick count of heads to double check, I led the other thirteen Merpeople to the battle.

It was like swimming into a hurricane. Swords were clashing and men screaming, effortlessly making complete chaos. The Pirates on our side were almost indistinguishable from Allistair's crew. As planned, the other Merpeople went off in their mated pairs. Grabbing Lovino's hand, I looked at him to see if he was ready. Giving me a nod, the two of us rushed to assist Kirkland's crew. We barely got two steps out when I spotted Ren attempting to take on two men at once. Dragging Lovino with me, I rushed to his aid.

Piercing one of the men with my makeshift spear, the distracted partner proved to be an easy target for Ren to finish off. He gave me a questioning look, gesturing to Lovino with confusion. "Ren, this is my mate," I rushed out, "Proper introductions can be done later. Where is Kirkland?" A moment passed as Ren processed my words. Turning his attention to an oncoming enemy, he pointed absentmindedly towards the Silent Siren.

I started dragging Lovino towards the familiar ship. It was honestly fairly easy to slip past the fighting pirates. I don't know why, but I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Kirkland. His familiar figure in my head was filled with worry, fear, anger, and tinges of regret and defeat. Hurrying across the thin board connecting the two ships, I slashed at everyone who got in my way. Lovino managed to keep up, fending off people from behind with his own sword.

I spotted the blond mess that I had never gotten to feel, clumped together in places with blood and water. He was in a deadlock with Allistair, though it looked like they were evenly matched. I carved my way to Kirkland, ignoring the screams and foreign blood in favor of an inexplicable urge to protect Kirkland. When I made it to the two brothers, I was stopped by Carriedo. The other battles had all but finished, both decks covered in bodies and blood. The only ones really still fighting were the two Kirklands, their vibrant eyes locked on each other invariably. And by the looks on their faces, they wouldn't be stopping any time soon.


	12. Sometimes things work out well

I could say that it was difficult to watch two men in a stale match attempt to fight for our freedom, but it really wasn't. In fact, it was quite boring for us spectators. I had Carriedo and the remaining crew help the other Merpeople get clothing from some of the bodies. It's quite surprising, how much they listened to me when Ren was the first mate. However, he seemed to be absent from either ship at the time. I pushed it out of my mind, turning back to pay attention to the fighting brothers.

Nothing seemed to change, not even the standard banter. They were matched in skill, blow for blow and block for block. That is, until I noticed Allistair shift his hand away from his sword and towards something on his hip. As much as I hated interfering, I struck his cheating arm with the makeshift spear just as he started to cock the pistol with the intent of winning. He yelped and turned to me, growling like a feral animal. Arthur didn't seem to know to react as Allistair brought the gun up, pointing at my chest.

Rushing to finally put an end to this, I used the pole of my spear to knock his arm to the side just as he fired. With excitement flooding my senses, I didn't even register the pain in my left arm. Acting on that excitement, I dropped the spear and grabbed his arm, flipping him onto his back on the ground next to me. However, that was as far as he allowed me to go as he used his legs to sweep me off of the ground. As I gasped for breath, Allistair straddled my torso and wrapped his hands around my neck and started squeezing the life out of me.

"Just die already, you filthy mermaid! Die and pay for your crimes to my crew and me," he spat into my face, all judgement thrown away in favor of finishing what he set out to do. I scratched desperately at his hands as my entire body started to tingle, as if a limb had fallen asleep except everywhere. I started feeling tired and my limbs stopped listening to me.

As I was on the verge of falling asleep, Allistair's grip on my throat suddenly disappeared. His hands were still there, hovering over my skin. As I regained vision, I saw why he had stopped choking me. A sword tip stuck out of his chest at an awkward angle, crimson blood slowly dripping down the blade. Just as suddenly as it had been stabbed through, it was pulled out with an wet sound that could just barely be heard. Allistair just stared at a spot next to my head, complete shock frozen onto his face. His heavy body was pushed to the side by a small hand that wouldn't have fazed him while he was alive.

Behind the hulking body was a tearful Peter, clutching the sword in one hand. The sword was obviously something he had picked up as the tip rested on the soggy deck. Snot and tears covered his face as he dropped the sword and wrapped his arms around my torso. Not a word was said as he started bawling into my chest, his tiny hand clutching the back of my shirt.

-

It took a while for Kirkland to pry Peter off of me to let Ren bandage the hole in my arm. It was difficult not to scream as I realized the pain, but Lovino let me squeeze his hand. Thinking quick, Ren retrieved a bottle of alcohol from the dining area and let me take a few drinks to make the pain duller. It burned my throat and I wanted to cough the liquid back out, but I managed to stomach it for the time being.

The devastation wasn't as bad as we thought it had been. Most of Carriedo and Kirkland's crews had survived, and those that remained from Allistair's crew were imprisoned on Carriedo's ship. Finding large bolts of cloth on Allistair's ship, we were able to give all of the fallen souls a burial at sea. We didn't mourn for long, however, allowing Carriedo to take Allistair's ship, the Silent Siren had to take off on its own.

All of us Merpeople stayed in cells similar to the one I had been in. None of them wanted to stay there until they were convinced that the doors wouldn't be locked and they could move about freely. Of course, Ren and I got to be the lucky ambassadors between Arthur and the Merpeople. I promised them that we would all get proper treatment on our way home. For the most part, we remained in mated pairs, but having the cells separated kept the dominant mates from attacking each other. A table was set up in the largest cell for us to eat and gather at.

Lovino hardly left my side after the battle, only leaving when my sister wanted to talk to me. She told me she had mated with Ludwig, an old instructor of mine and one of the princes of the Merpeople kingdom. Everything was fine until I apologized for isolating her after she took a job. At that, we both broke down in tears and spent the next few hours reminiscing about our childhoods. She spoke of things that happened years before I was born, as well as when she was young and our mother was alive. Katyusha smiled fondly while speaking about our mother, emphasizing that she would be proud of me if she had lived to see me grow up. Thinking back, I suppose that's what bittersweet really is.

Once we were all clean and relatively healthy again, I was finally able to meet the pink-haired merman and his mate. I was surprised and ashamed that I didn't recognize the princes sooner. The pink one was Oliver, mated to Prince Gilbert, the older sibling of Ludwig. Oliver had been common like me until Gilbert chose him as a mate. Oliver seemed just as surprised to find out that I was the sibling of Katyusha. He insisted that we didn't fuss over him and Gilbert, especially not me and Lovino as we were technically family. In fact, Oliver seemed humbled and almost embarrassed by the fact he was seen as royalty.

With the exception of Oliver's insistence to be treated as any other merperson would be, we all got along swimmingly. Some would even say that many of us became fast friends. Other than myself, no one else really went to top deck, while Peter and Ren were the only ones to come down to our cells. Gradually, some pairs had me request a stop where they would jump off into the ocean, eventually resurfacing and thanking us.

About halfway through our return trip, we had to stop at a port to restock for the extra mouths. By now, there were only three pairs left, including me and Lovino. I spent the afternoon on top deck until Kirkland invited me to his cabin for a short while. It was then that Arthur cornered me for a talk.

"So," he hesitated, "How is everyone doing down there? Is it comfortable enough?" The interaction was obviously awkward as his jerky pauses between words betrayed his calm. His emotions were a mess, with all the symptoms of being nervous. I became so used to the now warm figure in my head, I almost didn't notice any of the changes in his emotions. The familiarity was so ingrained, we may as well have been actual mates. Regret sank into my stomach as I remembered exactly why I knew Kirkland's emotions.

Running on automatic, I easily replied to his queries with, "We're all fine. The others are starting to open up more and more to the others, so there hasn't been any fighting." He nodded, allowing the plush Captain's cabin to be enveloped in silence. After an uncomfortable amount of time, Kirkland sighed, slumping his proud shoulders. This was the first time he really let his guard down around me.

"Natasha, there's something that I have to admit," he started. Immediately, my stomach bunched into a knot. "I haven't been fair to you," he continued, "This entire time I've treated you like an annoyance. However, you've managed to grow on me, as well as my crew. I know that your journey will be over soon, and you are planning on returning to the ocean with the others. However, I was wondering.." He drifted off for a moment, but I already knew in my pitted stomach what he was going to say.

"Would you like to stay with me here on the Silent Siren?"


	13. Eventually, all paths come to an end

It's funny how sounds like a slap can be suspended in such enclosed spaces. It just hangs over your head with no signs of leaving. The growing red mark on Kirkland's shocked face added to the hanging silence. With his fingertips just barely touching the stinging area, full realization of what I had done set in. A plethora of emotions ran through him, anger and betrayal being the most dominant. His thick eyebrows furrowed together as his face contorted into a snarl.

Before he could even make a sound, I raised my voice at him. My cold mask returned, but my tone so obviously didn't match it. "Arthur Kirkland, you absolute empty-headed Marlin! Obviously your brain is as big as a plankton or you wouldn't have even thought that asking me to stay on your ship was a good idea! Honestly, Kirkland, you don't even like me, let alone keeping me onboard. Or has the entire 'sell the mermaid for easy profit' scheme been completely forgotten? Adding to that, I have no reason to trust you other than you haven't killed me so far."

Sighing, Kirkland struggled to keep himself levelheaded. Strained, he started, "Natasha, please, let me explain-"

I never gave him the chance to continue, striding out of the cabin as fast as I could without running. Kirkland followed after me, continually attempting to start a sentence, each time being interrupted by an obstacle as I made my way to the Merperson refuge. Never have I felt more relief than when I slammed the door in his face.

All of the mermaids were in their cells, at least half of them were still asleep. Hurrying back to my room, I secretly hoped that Lovino was still asleep so I could brood in peace. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side. Lovino was awake and alert after the door slammed. Looking at me, his expression went from annoyed to concerned. Instead of signing immediately, I tore off the clothes that Kirkland had given to me what seemed like years ago. Plopping into the tub that seemed smaller than before, I let the water soak into my skin.

It wasn't until I felt Lovino shaking me that I became aware of the situation. "What happened?" He asked, his hands rushing through the words. Shakily, I replied, "I realized how stupid I am. I am and always be a mermaid, and no human could change that." I bumped against him, resting my head against his sturdy chest. Wrapping his arm around me, he stated, "I don't care if you look like them or if you look like us. I have and always will love you from the depths and back." He rested his head against mine, gently rubbing against me. The display of affection warmed my core as I returned the gesture, wondering what the human equivalent would be. Despite the specimens we had met so far, they were truly an interesting species.

As the days went by, I became closer to Lovino than we had been before. He eagerly listened as I told him and the others of the adventure I had while looking for them. Of course, I left out choice parts about the Captain, but it didn't seem vital to the story. Shortly after I finished, Oliver commented that I should apprentice for the city's Storyteller. "The way you tell stories is wonderful. It feels like I've been traveling with you the whole time," he beamed. Returning the smile, I promised to talk to the current Storyteller as soon as we returned home.

Oliver's compliment raised my spirits considerably. Due to Merpeople's longevity, the position of Storyteller was seldom open. However, the Storyteller's apprentice would often be chosen depending on competence. Knowing that the Prince's mate thought I was competent enough to be an apprentice was comforting to say the least. For the last few days of our journey, I held my head high with pride. It seemed to rub off on Lovino, who seemed to be excited about seeing our dull home again. After everything that had happened, all of us could use some dullness in our lives.

Finally, the final day came. The ship stopped and the six of us left walked on two legs for the last time for a while. Standing on the top deck, Arthur stood there with Peter. I stepped forward, being the only one who communicate with him. Taking a breath, I started, "Captain, we give you our sincerest thanks. Despite our differences and a difficult start, you have helped me save my mate and kin from certain death. I only wish that we had been able to save your kin as well. As a gesture of our thanks, Princes Gilbert and Oliver have decided to trust your ships. That is, you and Captain Carriedo no longer have to worry about attacks from Merpeople. If needed, we will even assist you should the winds or tides be unfortunate."

After my speech, Arthur gave a humble bow to Oliver and Gilbert. Looking me in the eyes, he asked, "Are you sure that you wouldn't like to stay with me, Natasha?" The sadness in his eyes made my heart ache, but the emotional connection I had with him had faded. Should the bite be too shallow, it would heal without scarring and sever the attachment. Struggling to find my voice, I nodded. "I apologize, Captain, but I belong under the waves, not above them." Directing my eyes towards Peter, I allowed them to see a small smile. "Perhaps we will meet again, under better circumstances." The small child grinned through tears he had been struggling to hide. Stepping away from the Captain, I took my place with the others at the edge. On a nonverbal queue, the six of us gracefully dived into the water below with synchronized movements. Feeling the free water brought tears to my eyes.

Resurfacing with the others, Oliver gave us another queue. As we had planned in secret, the six of us sang a farewell song to the crew. Even to my ears, it was beautiful. The crew above us crowded around every possible area to see the performance. As our harmonized voices ended, the crew started to applaud. We took our bows and dived underwater, showing off our shimmering tails to the crew above. Following our memories, the six of us made our way to the city. Stealing a glance behind us, I looked at the place where the ship had been. Regret had lodged itself in my heart, a small part of me wanted to go with Arthur. Turning my attention to Katyusha and Lovino, I ignored the feeling. With our home in sight, a smile crept onto my face. Despite everything, there was nowhere else that I would rather be.

-  
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I really hate putting author's notes in my stories, but I have to say this. The next chapter will be the last, and it will probably be fairly unsatisfying. I'm fairly unhappy with how this came out, so I'm going to end it sooner rather than later and rewrite it under a similar name. Thank you for being patient with the updates and for the inspiring comments that you've left. This was my first fanfiction and I've since put up a few more as well as some oneshots. If you ever need to contact me, my tumblr is asking-miss-belarus, and I'm pretty good about answering asks fairly quickly. I'd love to take some requests, and I actually have a few more fics being planned, though length has yet to be determined. I really appreciate everyone who took their time to follow and comment. Thank you again for your patience and staying with me for so long._


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